Lane Kiffin's brother reportedly leaving Florida Atlantic for NFL job

Florida Atlantic’s defensive coordinator Chris Kiffin, brother of head coach Lane Kiffin, takes the field for his first college football spring game at the school in Boca Raton, Fla., Saturday, April 22, 2017. (Jim Rassol/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Lane Kiffin and Nick Saban have something in common: they will have replaced both coordinators before the 2018 season.

At Alabama, Saban has reportedly already decided to promote from within at both spots — Mike Locksley on offense and Tosh Lupoi on defense. At Florida Atlantic, Kiffin brought in 24-year-old Charlie Weis Jr. to replace Kendal Briles as the offensive coordinator. Briles, the son of former Baylor coach Art Briles, accepted the same job at Houston.

Now Kiffin will reportedly have to find a new defensive coordinator, too. According to multiple outlets, Chris Kiffin, Lane’s younger brother, has accepted a position with the San Francisco 49ers. Per Sports Illustrated, Chris Kiffin will serve as San Francisco’s “pass rush specialist coach,” which seems like a fancier way of saying “assistant defensive line coach.”

After going 3-9 in 2016, Florida Atlantic won its first Conference USA title, finishing 11-3, in its first year with Lane Kiffin as head coach. As defensive coordinator, Chris Kiffin improved the Owls from No. 124 in total defense in 2016 to No. 63 in 2017 — a drop off of 124 yards allowed per game. FAU’s 22.7 points allowed per game was No. 34 nationally.

Before his lone season coaching under his brother at FAU, Chris Kiffin served as an assistant at Ole Miss, Arkansas State, USC and Nebraska. He played collegiately at Colorado State.

Kiffin is the fourth member of the FAU coaching staff to leave this offseason. The Owls also lost offensive line coach Garin Justice (UNLV) and defensive backs coach Corey Batoon (Hawaii).